When British built a 4K-km wall across India for tax

In the year 1995, a book conservator named Roy Moxham from London discovered a reference in the memoirs of a British official about a massive hedge that once existed across India. Moxham, intrigued by this claim, spent years researching and investigating the history of this living barrier. His findings were compiled in a book titled "The Great Hedge of India: The Search for the Living Barrier that Divided a People," published in 2001.

This book brought attention back to one of the largest and most unusual projects of revenue extortion carried out by the British Raj.

Salt was one of the most heavily taxed commodities in British India, as it was consumed by people of all social classes. The British authorities introduced an uneven tax system, with higher duties on salt produced in certain regions compared to other areas. This created an incentive for smuggling, as traders could buy cheaper salt in one region and transport it into regions with inflated prices due to taxation.

To combat this illicit trade, the East India Company established customs posts in the early 19th century. This eventually evolved into a continuous barrier, with customs posts and checkpoints stretching thousands of kilometers. By the 1860s, officials had begun planting dense vegetation to create a living hedge, known as the Great Hedge of India.

By 1869, this barrier extended approximately 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) from Multan in the northwestern frontier to Orissa near the Bay of Bengal.

The Great Hedge of India was not just an eccentric landscape project but a major piece of state infrastructure designed to secure revenue. Maintaining this massive hedge required a significant administrative apparatus, with around 12,000 personnel employed in 1869-70. Guards, inspectors, labourers, and gardeners were deployed across the route to ensure the hedge remained intact and effective in preventing smuggling.

The hedge was made of locally adapted species such as babool, karonda, Indian plum, prickly pear, and thorny creepers, growing up to 12 feet in height and 14 feet in thickness in some areas.